The inside of the Forgotten Temple was just as insanely impressive as the outside. The enormous stone structure couldn't have fit anywhere other than the bottom of the canyon. The ancient stone was cracked and warped by time, once smooth segments made uneven by the shifting of the earth over thousands of years before being made uniform once again by the elements. The entire building seemed to consist of one massive hall, with a few broken arches and structures largely lying in pieces. The whole thing had clearly been masterfully made and left unmaintained for countless centuries in the time after.
The only part of it that indicated any recent activity was more wooden ramps stretching across gaps and changes in elevation. All of it came together to make an unsteady path that led deep into the bowels of the temple. There were also more monsters, through not nearly as many as there had been outside. None of them got in our way, each of them keeping well away from me and Zelda.
"Look at those," Zelda said at some point, pointing to a rusted hunk of metal. From a distance, I didn't see what was so important about it, but as we got closer, I realized it was another of the massive turrets that we had fought off on the ascent to the resting place of Power.
"Glad that one's broken," I mumbled, still keeping an eye on the few monsters that lurked around.
"It's not just that. If there are more of them, maybe they existed in greater numbers in the past. They might have been ancient vehicles or powerful mining machines."
"Maybe," I said, only half paying attention. This deep into enemy territory, I was on maximum alert, ready for anything. Still, the small part of my mind that wasn't watching for threats didn't think the turrets had been simple vehicles. The lasers those things fired had been no joke.
It took almost twenty minutes to cross to the opposite wall of the archaic temple. Another long ramp led up to what looked like a small cavity in the wall, only to open up into another section just as big as the first. The same broken stone made up the first third of the new section, but after that it was incredibly smooth, like the area had been preserved against much of the decay at afflicted the rest of the temple. The floor was old, no doubt about it, but the stones still fit against each other, like they were only a few decades old instead of countless millennia. A series of pillars formed a line on either side of the central path, which led right up to a dividing wall that didn't reach the ceiling. And past that, visible thanks to its immense size and different color, was a beautiful statue of a winged figure.
Zelda and I walked down the last wooden ramp to reach the flat stone of the floor. The whole place was eerily quiet, no wind moving through the stillness of the temple. No monsters lurked here either, as if none of them dared to step in this most ancient place. It felt like what I could imagine the Temple of Time would be like if left empty and alone, only a thousand times more potent.
Neither of us had any words to describe the incredible building around us, we were so enraptured by the scale of everything. Only when we started walking between the two rows of pillars did Zelda's voice pierce the quiet.
"Look at these columns, Link. Not only the stone, but the carvings are different from everything else too. I think this entire temple might have been built around something else, some even older building. Look that wall is different too. I wonder what this place was, that it had such a huge temple built around it."
"A place of hope." An incredible, imposing voice washed over us just as we stepped through the square portal placed in the wall. The room containing the statue was just as impressive as the rest of the gigantic building, but the figure at the foot of the winged sculpture pulled our attention to him.
His most striking feature was the burning, deep red hair that flowed and jumped down his back. Upon closer inspection, the entire mane was actually made of flames, flickering and burning silently. Bursts of grey periodically jumped through it, accompanied by flakes of equally grey ash that drifted away. Next was the skin, covered in grey and red scales the same color as his hair, but frequently broken up by black scars that crisscrossed his body. A short cape was wrapped around his waist and legs, partially obscuring his lower half, though plenty of scar-crossed skin and scales was still visible. Some scars looked older than others, but each and every one of them looked like they had hurt. I felt a tinge of pride at the thought.
"This place precedes anything else that still stands in this land; an echo that should have ceased reverberating long ago." The voice came again, like crackling flames combined with the clanging of metal, all smoothed out by the crashing of a storm into a gravely bass that threatened to shake stone. "Even now, this place holds enough power to repel me. I would grind this statue into dust, if only I could."
The monster of a man raised his scarred arm, muscles rippling under his scales. His demonic limb, adorned with matching talons, reached out to scratch against the moss-covered stone. As soon as his nails came close to the statue, his entire arm began withering away, falling to pieces before it could touch it. "I am reluctant to admit, but your power is great, Hylia. My past self underestimated you. I will not make the same mistake." The god pulled the remains of his arm away, the limb instantly regenerating when it was pulled away from the holy statue.
"And you, Hero. I've been watching you. I commend you on your acquisition of the Three's power. To think what I sought for ages, what I waged endless war for, could be obtained by you in as little as a few days. Like your predecessor that was my end once before."
"Then you know what happens now," I said, finally able to make myself talk before the overwhelming strength the god's voice carried. "I wished for your destruction once before, I can do it again. Besides, gods cannot wield the Triforce. Your lust for it doomed you."
"Doomed me? Perhaps once before. But with the last of my power, I instated our curse. And now I have been revived, ready to take my revenge. And while you have rarely known defeat, I have learned the bitterness of failure. These scars are a testament to that. I could name them all, each one received in a different age, and all of them carved out by the edge of your sword. How fitting."
The monster of a man turned around slowly, finally revealing his front. His tattoo of scars was even heavier on his chest, particularly a large gash between his impressive pectorals. The grey and red scales stopped halfway across his chest, framing his raw muscle. His face had the raw bluntness of a violent weapon, large nose nearly flat and mouth twisted into a wide snarl. His eyes glowed with a baleful red light, black shadows around them making it seem like they were the eyes of the abyss itself. The real draw was sitting in the middle of his forehead though: a massive black scar that was the freshest of any on his body. Blackened burn marks spilled outward from it as well, like he had been hit by an explosive blast.
"Admiring your handywork?" he asked, seeing my attention drawn to the mark. "You were not the one to start this, Hylia was the first one to drive a spike into my head. But it has become your favorite over the millennia. Arrows and your sword have made this point my end more times than I can count." The ancient god touched the edge of the mark gingerly, like the wound still hurt.
"And you may be right. My thirst for the Ultimate Power is pointless in the end. Nor would I lower myself to mortality in search for it. But I am not helpless before the Goddess' power any longer."
The wrathful god grabbed a sword that had been buried in the stone beside him but that I hadn't even noticed until he grabbed it. The blade was jagged and uneven, one edge hooked like claws had been stacked and forged together while the other was viciously serrated. The edges glowed with evil, black light and the spine of it pulsed red.
"With every time you struck my lesser selves down, you brought the hope that this place embodies to the world. And all the sadness, misery, and hatred of the world, the sadness, misery, and hatred that YOU felt, finds a focus in me. The culmination of tens of thousands of years of despair and fear that you have brough upon yourself rests in me. And now I will crush you with it!" From every one of the multitude of scars that decorated the evil god's body, a black miasma flowed out and collected around his open right hand.
I could sense the beginning of the fight and steeled myself, hefting the Hylian Shield and raising the Master Sword in a preparatory guard. From behind me, I could feel the warmth of Zelda's magic igniting, a comforting light at my back. The dark smoke stopped flowing around the powerful body of the monster in front of us, the last of it coalescing around his hand.
With slow anticipation, he raised it in the air. In a single movement, he clenched his fist and the darkness flowed together into a single triangle framed by three more. It was a familiar symbol, a nearly identical one blazing brightly from the back of my own hand. Only the one on his hand was upside down, with only the central triangle burning a deep, light consuming black. For the first time, the God of Destruction and Chaos' eyes met mine, the red igniting with the evil that fueled them.
"I am the Demise of the world, Chosen One. I am your Ruin, Hero of Hylia. And at my hand, you will feel the crushing depths of DESPAIR!"
In an instant, two things happened, but for a breathless second, I only felt the first. A powerful wave of black energy burst out of Ruin, freezing my very soul as it washed over me. Pure fear, irrational and potent, crushed me. Hopelessness threatened to overwhelm me. The desire to run, flee, and not look back tugged at my feet. In that moment, my spirit was strained to the breaking point, and only raw force of will kept it intact.
The second thing was Ruin lunging towards me and Zelda with the speed of a train. I barely had the chance to bring the Master Sword up to bear before Ruin slammed into it, his hooked blade latching onto my own and pulling it away. In desperation, I threw up my shield, getting it up just in time to intercept another fierce swing.
I tried to call on the power of the Triforce, drawing from Courage to speed my reactions. All that I found was crushing, crippling fear. I stumbled backwards, only barely getting out of the way as Ruin's titanic sword crashed down where I had been, pulverizing the stone floor. I tried to use Wisdom to see where the god was coming from next and was immediately crushed by an insane desire to flee. Somewhat expecting it this time, I managed to get myself and Zelda out of the way in time to let Ruin charge past me, quickly turning to block a strike to my back. I tried to return the blow, only to have the Master Sword knocked away like a toy.
'What is Zelda doing?' I thought, not having the time to verbally ask. Ducking under a quick slash, I caught a glimpse of Zelda standing with wide, wild eyes. She had stumbled a few steps away from the fight, keeping her out of immediate danger, but was still far too close to be considered safe.
"ZELDA, MOVE!" I yelled at her. She startled a little and seemed to come back to herself, enough to walk backwards towards the statue of Hylia. My distraction cost me, the vicious edge of Ruin's sword digging out a cut in my skin. I pulled away, feet moving me away by instinct and bringing me into a ready stance with my back to Zelda and the ancient statue.
"Even now, you protect her, the goddess that damned you to this eternal fate," Ruin mocked, pacing with heavy footsteps. I watched his movements carefully, making sure to keep myself between him and my girlfriend, constantly vigilant for another attack. The ancient god didn't seem to be in any rush though, if his smirk was anything to go by.
"You mortals are pitiful, holding onto others because your lives are too short to grasp anything greater. And you do not even realize it. You fight in the sand, throwing your meager power around, all the while forces stand above you that could crush you all with a thought."
"You mean like you?" I shot back, concentrating on holding my voice steady so as to not reveal the fear that threatened to overwhelm me. "Come on then. Last I checked, I'm not crushed yet. So either think it, end me, and shut up or let me kill you!"
"At your insistence," Ruin growled, taking a massive step forward to chop at my head and again at my ribs. Both were blocked by the upright blade of the Master Sword. I rolled with the force of the second blow, using the momentum to propel me to the side and power a slice of my own, followed by a thrust the god easily sidestepped. We watched each other; our movements perfectly matched as we circled each other.
Our fight continued on, my focus narrowing down to the flexing of Ruin's muscles and the whistle of air that flowed behind his sword. Most of the time, I was playing a defensive game, blocking and deflecting attacks with shield and sword. I managed to land a few hits against the red and grey scales of the monster, but the small smoking scratches were nothing against the blows that snuck through my own guard.
Every blow from Ruin that landed felt like it was three times worse than any other. Anywhere the flat of his black and red blade or hard fists landed felt like it instantly bruised, making the skin and muscle ache when stretched. One blow against my abdomen in particular, landed as I tried to spin away from a fast thrust, broke at least three ribs. Somehow, the cuts were worse, each one burning and stinging more than a gash should. I was being worn down steadily and my only reprieve was when Ruin disengaged for a minute.
"You fight well, Chosen. I worried you would be a disappointment, but you could be a match for your forebearer." A vile, twisted smile full of malice appeared on Ruin's brutish face. "But you forget what I want." We sprang together, his one huge sword fighting against my own blade and shield. "You will feel the full measure of this Despair. I will take everything from you, grind it to ash before your very eyes, and then I will hold you on the brink of death until I am satisfied you have felt the full measure of suffering. And it will start now, with her death."
I instantly realized I had made a mistake. Over the course of our fight, Ruin had gotten me turned around. While our fight had started with me between Zelda and the angry god, now our positions were reversed. Ruin smiled ferally and thrust his naturally armored foot at me. The movement was too quick; I had no choice but to pull my shield up in time to be kicked back violently. As I fell, I saw the exact moment Ruin turned and set his eyes on Zelda, who was watching helplessly from the foot of the statue of her divine self.
I knew that whatever Ruin had done at the start of our fight has sealed the majority of her magic. I knew that she was helpless against the towering incarnation of hate that rushed at her. I knew if I didn't get there in time, she was going to die. And finally, I knew I couldn't reach her in time.
That moment stretched infinitely as I fell and Ruin jumped towards Zelda, sword outstretched to impale her. Everything I feared was epitomized in that image. The feeling loomed in my heart and soul, overwhelming terror that froze me to my bones, threatening to consume every part of myself. Only one tiny, stubborn piece in my mind resisted the paralyzing fear.
'Fight,' it whispered.
In that eternal second, I felt the fear in my heart. Felt its reach and sharp tendrils. In its grip, Zelda was already dead. In reality, she still had a second to live. In a savage rush of energy, despair changed to desperation, and I crushed the fear.
Courage ignited, blazing through my soul. Taking hold of it, I moved. Perspective changed. Ruin was no longer charging away from me; he was right in my face. The Hylian Shield slammed down, resonating from the force and adjusting the momentum of his strike. Instead of Zelda's heart, his sword pierced my side, its uneven edges lighting agony inside me, but it paled in comparison to what losing Zelda would feel like.
"Your tenacity is impressive," Ruin growled. I responded with a fierce yell, pulling myself backwards off his sword and thrusting my own forward. The divine blade pierced his shoulder, the first strong hit I had landed so far. The pain was enough to force him away, giving me a single second of pause.
"Link!" I heard Zelda yell directly behind me. I yearned to turn around, to see her safe, but the fight wasn't over yet. With another rush of energy from Courage, I shot forward, throwing a salvo of attacks at Ruin, who blocked each one.
I was tempted to continue the hectic, frantic hail of blows, but Ruin's swift counterattack forced me back on the defensive. Despite the deep wound in his shoulder, the god didn't seem hindered in the slightest. His strikes were just as brutal as before, the edge of his blade just as sharp. The creeping feeling of helplessness that undermined my fight loomed larger, making me question whether victory was even possible. Courage was no good without the ability to win. My newfound desperation nearly crumbled when I saw Ruin slide.
It wasn't much, hardly deserving of the word, barely more than a slight readjustment of his footing. But it revealed weakness, no matter how small. The fight was taking a toll on him too. He wasn't invincible. I could beat him. I would beat him. My desperation changed to furious belligerence.
Power responded, filling my body with new strength. The many pains I felt faded, enough that I could push through them. The Master Sword tingled and hummed, flickering with pure white energy. Each one of my barely controlled attacks sent a ripple of holy power flowing into Ruin, sapping his strength and wearing him down. I slowly forced him back away from Zelda, every strike increasing the gap between her and the fight just a little.
Still though, I couldn't break past his guard. Small hits connected, but they were little more than scratches against the thick scales that protected Ruin's arms and legs. Worse, he was getting angry, somehow pushing more strength into his swings.
The primal part of my mind warned me against continuing to go up against a furious god on a warpath, the absolute stupidity it would take to start that fight in the first place. It was a fool's errand. And no matter what I did, no matter how brave or how strong I was, I was going to fail and die. Ruin's sword was going to come down, the serrated edges were going to shred me to pieces, and I was going to die in agony.
My mind beat frantically with irrational terror, but I forced it down like I had with my fear and hopelessness. I struggled with myself as I did the same with the towering god that continued to batter me with crushing strikes. By this point, our stalemate was clear. He could keep slamming against me, but I could hold him off. At the same time, warding off his attacks left me with no room for my own. We could keep our dance up, but neither of us would win. Not unless something changed.
Intellectually, I knew what Ruin's move would be. He'd go after Zelda again, whose powers seemed to be slowly recovering from whatever he had done, but not enough to stop him. I was the only one who could do that, but not like this. Though my mind yelled that I was making a terrible mistake, especially with an already injured side, I resolved to do what I had to. I had to concede in order to win.
I continued to deflect Ruin's huge sword but did it in a way that encouraged him to put himself in just the position I needed. After another furious exchange of blows, he finally did. Pulling his arm back for a deadly stab, I leaned towards where the sword was going to go and prepared for the agonizing pain.
My intention was for Ruin to hit my leg and hopefully bait him into going for a finisher by acting more hurt than I was. But as soon as the God of Chaos' sword was in motion, Wisdom's cooling presence reestablished itself in my mind, pushing the last of my irrational panic away. The last of Ruin's Despair faded away under the unification of wisdom, power, and courage, leaving nothing but honed focus.
I took full advantage of Wisdom's return, using its ability to find a path to get me out of danger and finally turn the tables. With a quick jump, my sturdy boots landed on the flat of Ruin's extended blade, throwing the god slightly off balance and giving me a momentary footing. Jumping again, I sailed over his head, bringing the Master Sword around to chop at his head. He saw the attack coming though, so my sword hit his shoulder instead of his skull. Still, it was a deep wound that wouldn't be shrugged off easily. I hoped.
Of course, being injured on one side didn't mean Ruin was left exposed. His empty hand shot forward as I landed, sharp talons curled into a powerful fist. I barely got the Hylian Shield up in time to block the strike, which actually managed to dent the enchanted steel. Stumbling backwards, I realized I was standing in front of Zelda again, who was now largely recovered. Whether that was due to me being able to use the Triforce again or some other factor, I had no idea. But with both of us back to fighting strength and Ruin injured, it felt like the perfect moment to crush him.
"Is that your wish?"
Sound reverberated in my soul, my mind interpreting It into words for the sake of understanding It, but the true impact of It reached so much further. It wasn't even really noise, more like the essence of the world was making Itself known to me.
"What is-" I said out loud, earning me a concerned look from Zelda. Thankfully, Ruin was dealing with the deep cut in his shoulder, so we had a few seconds before he was back on the warpath.
"What is your wish?"
The sound, for lack of a better term, came again, making me close my eyes to focus on It. It gently prodded me, searching for something. It seemed to find it in my desire for Ruin's end, but It retreated from those thoughts a moment later.
"That cannot be."
It said, skirting around those feelings.
"He protects himself. What is your wish?"
If It was unable to outright destroy Ruin, It would have to do the next best thing. I pushed at the feeling my desire to overcome the evil god, to kill and scatter him with my own hand. It latched onto that want, my wish, and golden energy coursed through my soul.
My eyes snapped open and I had a split second to take in the state of the room. Ruin was standing at the bottom of the few steps leading to the statue of the Goddess, true wrath clear on his face. He was moving quickly, but in the moment, he looked like he was running through mud. Next to me, Zelda's hands were glowing with her own powers, but her head was turned to look at me, surprise and wonder painted on her face. It wasn't my eyes she was looking at though, but rather my left hand that hung at my side.
The three brilliant triangles of the Triforce were lit up on it, casting pure light across the dark interior of the temple. The energy of it hummed, more powerful than ever before. Acting purely on instinct, I swapped the Master Sword to my right hand and thrust my left to the sky, the luminous triangles impossibly shining brighter.
I heard the voice again.
"By the Power, Wisdom, and Courage of the Goddesses, your wish is granted."
The world came undone as the roof of the temple disintegrated and a bolt of golden lightning dropped from the sky to meet my raised hand.
.
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Okay, full disclosure, I was going to wait another day or two to post this, but I just finished it and thought 'damn, I need to know how well I pulled this off.' So please, if you're reading this story, write a review. This is the time. If you only review once, first, that's a real shame. Hope you change your mind. Second, either do it now or after the next chapter. This is the final fight, people. And in case the ending didn't give it away, shit just got real.
Tiny bit of context here too in case it wasn't evident. Ruin's Despair messes with the Triforce. I say this is why Ruin cannot be obliterated via Triforce. Wouldn't make things nearly as interesting. What's the workaround? Stay tuned and you'll find out.
Let's get to the reviews, shall we? Trick question, we will. So says I, your evil overlord. What's that? I don't seem that evil, you say. Don't worry, I will. Oracle, yes it is, very observant of you to catch that. Full marks. Hope I lived up to your expectations of epicness on this, though you might want to grab a refill during the break. There's more to come. I will strongly consider some oneshots for these two. I've already got an idea of how I want to end it, so I think there's potential for something along those lines. Twilit Lord, thank you! As much as I love the idea (except the Vaati part, you just won't let up with that), I regulated Ganondorf to be a bit of a side character. I would have liked for him to play a larger part, but the way I thought up the story with Ruin, things just didn't pan out for that. Princessa, glad you liked the chapter, I'm trying my hardest! I don't intentionally write Zelda as sassy (probably), but she certainly ends up that way, doesn't she? And no, of course Zelda's never going to give Link up. I'd be horrified if she let him down. Definitely not going to turn around and desert him (I'm sorry). Glad you're still amused by the continued nudge nudge wink wink nature of Shade and Midna's relationship. I'm still convinced they're just playing D&D or something. I'm honored to have this story be your favorite, and I hope I live up to your expectations for the ending. Silverblood (oh boy, it's a long one again), tension leading up to the final battle, who would have thought? Again, Ganondorf...just isn't meant for that. I'm sorry, I wish I could have made that better, but I always aimed for Link and Zelda to be the only ones who could face off against Ruin. As will become apparent in the next chapter as the title of this story comes to fruition. As for Shade and Midna, yes...cookies. Because that's exactly what's going to get eaten. What do you mean that's too explicit. We're talking about cookies. As to your remark about Link protecting Zelda, I am required to keep my mouth shut. You'll get no spoilers about that. And thank you for the birthday wishes. Fear not, I'm allergic to ice cream and I'm not a fan of cake, so there was no danger there, but I had some pretty good brownies. Mmm, brownies. Nightwing, yeah, I know it's a little fast, but what are you going to do? It's time to end this thing, before it becomes one of those shows that drags on for an extra ten episodes, but we all know it's just filler and then the ending isn't as impactful. It's better this way. I thought I mentioned the ruins of a Guardian outside the temple, but my rationality is that they either broke or the monsters cleared them out. Either way, it's hard to have a dramatic walk while being lasered in the face. Thanks for the birthday wishes and don't worry, there's still a couple chapters left. Queen Emily, of course it's a good point, I made it, and if there's one thing I know, it's that I'm always right. What's that, I'm being arrogant? My goodness, that's so kind of you to complement me like that. Thanks for the birthday wish!
A quick aside, the reason I wasn't going to post this chapter yet was because I just posted another chapter in my other story 'Shared Wings' and I normally want to spread those out a little more. However, I changed my mind. But I mention this so that you all go check that story out too! Because what kind of creator would I be if I didn't shamelessly ask you to go support me more?! For real though, check it out, it's got romance~~~.
One last thing before I end this, please be aware that this is the last chapter I have written at the time of posting this. That means getting the next one out will probably take longer than a week, unless I have another mad burst of inspiration. I will be trying to work on it consistently so as to get it out as soon as possible, but I'm also trying to make it as good as it can be, and I refuse to write if I'm just not happy with my thought process. It takes a lot of effort, you know? So please be patient and know I'm working on a satisfying conclusion. Okay, that's all. You all have a good day, support your favorite authors by letting them know you appreciate their hard work *ahem me ahem* and don't forget to clean your fingernails. All sorts of gunk gets stuck under those things. Super gross. Cheers!
~Aro